Germany’s Merz 'deeply shocked' by far-right AfD's historic electoral victory

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the press on Monday that he was "deeply shocked" by the far-right AfD's historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt's state election a day earlier. The AfD is labelled a "right-wing extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, and some of its staff are former members of a since-banned neo-Nazi organisation. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.